2 Ducats - Leopold I Vienna

Leopold I came to the imperial throne in 1658 after a reign delayed by smallpox and a protracted electoral contest — the Habsburgs had expected his elder brother Ferdinand IV to succeed, but Ferdinand died in 1654. These ducats fall squarely within Leopold's opening years of rule, when the Vienna mint was working to establish his coinage while the empire simultaneously managed the tail end of costly Turkish frontier conflicts and the financial obligations inherited from his father Ferdinand III.

Herinek 178 through 180 distinguishes at least three die varieties within this narrow three-year window, a detail that rewards closer examination of the specific die pairing present on any given piece.